For North Haven Village

A majority of the seats up for election in North Haven Village are uncontested. Much like Sag Harbor Village, where Trustees Jim Larocca and Thomas Gardella are running unopposed to retain their seats on the Village Board, in North Haven longtime Mayor Jeff Sander is unopposed in his reelection bid for a two-year term at the helm of that village, as are Trustees Dianne Skilbred and David Saskas.

The lone race is for the seat of Trustee James “Jamie” Davis, an excellent board member, who died in February. Chris Fiore was tapped by the Village Board to take Mr. Davis’s seat in April and is running with the rest of the incumbents under the North Haven Party banner to earn elected office for one year, the remainder of Mr. Davis’s elected term.

Terie Diat is also running for that one-year term — the contest between Ms. Diat and Mr. Fiore thus being the only contested race in North Haven. Both Ms. Diat and Mr. Fiore would be excellent board members: Both have strong business backgrounds, believe in preservation and treasure the waterfront. No matter who is elected, the board and the community will benefit, a nice luxury during a time where political races have become decidedly divisive.

However, it has not gone unnoticed that for some time now the North Haven Party has held sway over the Village Board, often tapping new members to run for election when others retire or are otherwise unavailable.

That, in itself, is a reason to endorse Terie Diat over Mr. Fiore. One party governance, even in a small village like North Haven, should in most cases be avoided, particularly when all candidates involved have so much to offer. Ms. Diat would be an impressive newcomer who just might start to open up the elective process in North Haven in a healthful way.